PNA was founded in 2006 by John Haas, former chairman of Rohm and Haas; Fred Heldring, former president of PNB Bank; Craig Eisendrath, former U.S. Foreign Service Officer and author of the Outer Space Treaty; Mark Lichty, Co-Executive Director of Groundswell Rising, former Chair of PA Common Cause, former CEO of Bustin Industrial Products; Ted Brinton, of the Philadelphia Friends Yearly Meeting; Edward A. Aguilar, president of the PA Lawyers Alliance for World Security.

In March 2009, PNA was incorporated in Pennsylvania as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.